Sulky brand thread in 12 wt. on a 50-yard spool. Also known as a “petite.” The spools also come in larger sizes of 330 yards. This picture shows a little comparison between traditional embroidery floss and the Sulky thread.

When I was at Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh, I briefly noted a booth with gobs and gobs of threads available for embroidery that were wound on spools. That got me pretty darn excited. I don’t know about you, but I get frustrated with skeins of embroidery thread. It twists, it knots, and unless you unwind it and wind it back up again on a spool, it can result in a mess in your sewing bag.

Alas, I thought, someone has gotten smart and created a solution for my frustration. I decided to try out this spooled thread.

I was on a mini shop hop with a couple of friends in the Utica, NY area, and at one of the shops there was a display of 12 wt. Sulky thread on 50 yard spools. They were called “Petites.” The shop owner told me that the thread was supposed to be good for embroidery as it had about the same weight as typical embroidery floss, like you might get from Cosmo or some other brand. I decided to give it a try.

I bought a few spools in red, blue, and brown as those are the colors I am working in right now for redwork. I don’t remember what I paid for them but I have found them online for a couple dollars for a spool of 50 yards. The larger spools are more money, of course. Those spools hold 330 yards of thread which I find to be wonderful if you have a large project to do. Typical embroidery floss skeins hold 8.7 yards.

The picture above gives an indication of what the spools look like.

Sulky brand thread in 12 wt. on a 50-yard spool. Also known as a “petite.” The spools also come in larger sizes of 330 yards. This picture shows a little comparison between traditional embroidery floss and the Sulky thread.

The picture shown here shows two lines of embroidery. The top piece is embroidered with traditional embroidery floss, using two strands. the bottom embroidery shows a piece using 1 thread of the Sulky brand thread in a 12 wt. Now let me give you some pros and cons for each one. These are my personal observations, only.

(I can’t get a comparison table to look right here so I’ll just have to list these.)

* I find the Sulky to be superior in ease of use because it comes off a spool. It doesn’t knot while you’re trying to unravel it from a skein and it doesn’t knot when you do so. This saves time and aggravation.

** For some reason, I find the Sulky to be slightly more difficult to thread. I wonder if it’s the width of the thread. I have figured out if I fold it over the needle but separate the threads that hang over, it somehow moves the looped over thread so it doesn’t result in it being too thick. Then I can thread it more easily. This sounds complicated but it isn’t.

*** I feel like the Sulky wears slightly more than the floss but I may be imagining that. I just use a shorter length of thread and then I’m fine.

What I truly love about the Sulky is that there is only one thread so I don’t get little loops of thread sticking up and there isn’t another thread to get knotted with or have the threads become uneven resulting in loops. Sulky thread makes the embroidery smoother and that I like a lot. I take out fewer stitches with the Sulky.

The biggest issue I see with the Sulky is that there aren’t enough colors if you do a lot of embroidery. I do redwork so the color choices are fine for me.

Here’s what Sulky says about the thread:

“To celebrate our 25th Anniversary, Sulky of America recently introduced a fabulous NEW line of Sulky 12 wt. Cotton “Petites” Thread. These smaller 50 yd. snap-end spools of 80 dynamic colors of premium quality Sulky 12 wt. Long Staple, Egyptian Cotton Thread were especially created for the myriad of you who love Hand Embroidery, Quilting, and Applique, as well as numerous other Hand Crafts such as:

Since one strand of Sulky 12 wt. Cotton Thread is equivalent to two strands of typical floss, the huge benefits are:

You don’t have to separate any floss;

There is no tangling;

You can cut any length you want; and

Storage is tidy with no loss of color identity. You will also love the fact that this smaller 50 yd. Sulky Petite spool has a suggested retail price that is almost three-fourths less than the price of the same Sulky 12 wt. Cotton Thread on a 330 yd. spool. See colors.” — from http://www.sulky.com/index_us.php

If you try out this thread, please let Sew, O’Susannah know what you think.

Don’t forget to Like, Post, Comment, Link, Pin, Tweet and Share. Have a great week. –Betsy

A picture of a sheep being shown at the Wayne County Fair in New York, August 2014

I couldn’t resist.

This furry friend had his picture taken at the Wayne County, NY Fair, which is held in Palmyra, NY, hometown of both Sue and I. I thought, what better way to talk about quilt batting then with a big wooly sheep.

About a month ago, Quilters Dream Batting sent me samples of their batting. I’m not sure why. I think I got on their mailing list when I went to Quilt Market, and also I design/make quilts. So I suppose that’s my answer. Anyway, there are some battings that I particularly like and some, not so much.

I must confess, I rarely do my own quilting. Margaret Leuwen, Sue’s sister and owner of Miss Marker’s Quilts, does almost all my quilting. She also provides all the batting. So I really can only tell you I like a particular batting because of its feel. I love the feel of a cotton batting and I’m quite sure that’s what Margaret uses for my quilts, which are wall hangings. Sorry Mr. Sheep. Of course, if we are speaking simply of softness, Quilters Dream has something called Quilters Dream Orient, which is a blend of bamboo, silk and botanic Tencel. It’s such a fine softness that it’s almost unfeelable, if that makes any sense at all. It’s silky.

I checked with O’Susannah’s to see which battings they offered and I spoke to the incredibly talented Sharon Bristol. She gave me some guidelines on selecting batting so I thought I would share those with you. From Sharon:

1. What do you want the end result to look like? 2. Will it hang on a wall? 3. Will it be used on a bed? 4. Will it be used by a child?

“If you are looking for a vintage look, use the Warm & Natural. It will shrink just a bit. If your piece is for a child, use the Quilters Dream Poly for washability. It really depends on the finished outcome of your quilt.”

I have provided a couple pictures of the sample card I received from Quilters Dream. A little further down this post I explain what each one is. I for one, really want to try a couple of these battings and just see how they work. Let me know if you try any of them and how you feel about them.

Quilters Dream Batting sample card

Quilters Dream Batting sample card

The following information was taken from the Quilters Dream sample card.

Quilters Dream PolyNewest fine denier microfibers Thoroughly modern choice with no shrinkage and very wrinkle resistant. Stitches up to 12″ apart. Can be tied. Not polyester as usual–silky & soft. Wonderful for hand & machine quilting. No resins, glue or binders. Breathable and comfortable. Also available in Deep Midnight Black in the Select Loft. Available in three lofts: 1. Request 2. Select 3. Deluxe.

Quilters Dream Blend for Machines.70% cleaned natural cotton and 30% silky fine denier polyester blended in perfect harmony and then needlepunched onto an ultralight scrim base. Perfect for machine quilting and tied quilts. Strong stable yet soft drapeable. Stitches up to 12″ apart. no prewashing required. Will not stretch, pucker or bunch. Perfect for short and long arm machines. Available in Select Loft.

Quilters Dream Green. Truly green batting made from 100% recycled plastic bottles.New generation of soft cozy polyester fiber made 100% from recycled plastic bottles. Clearly pro-environmental in both its raw materials and in the close-the-loop manufacturing process. Each pound of Dream Green equals 10 bottles saved from burdening our landfills. Except for the light green “natural” bottle color, the quality , function and drape are indistinguishable from virgin polyester batting.Dream Green may be machine washed and dried with little to no shrinkage. Resists wrinkles. Excellent for hand & machine quilting. Stitch up to 10″ apart. Can be tied. Available in Select Loft.

Quilters Dream Orient. Luxurious blend of bamboo, silk & botanic Tencel.East meets west in this exotic blend of bamboo, silk, cotton and botanic Tencel. Stitch up to 8″ apart. No resins, scrim or binders-luxurious fibers only. Incredibly soft, silky and luxuriously drapeable. May be machine washed and dried. Incredibly dreamy for both hand and machine quilting. Available in Select Loft.

Quilters DreamWool. A beautiful, consistent batting with the rich natural qualities of wool. Made with a blend of fine domestic and merino wool. Scoured & super-washed for superior cleanliness. May be machine-washed and dried. No shrinkage. Stitch up to 8″ apart. No scrim or resins. Light and luxurious with wonderful warmth and a lovely soft drape. Exceptionally comfortable and breathable. Carded, crosslapped and thermally bonded for uniformity, loft, strength and resiliency. Excellent for hand & machine quilting. Perfect lofts for all of your quilted projects.

Quilters Dream Puff. Light as a feather and warmer than down.Lusciously light & lofty batting. Dream Puff imparts volume and definition without adding weight. Superior insulation with amazing warmth and breathability. Dream Puff’s special silky soft fibers are 1.5 times warmer than down. Stitches up to 10″ apart. May be machine washed & dried. Dream Puff will not shrink. Will not hold a crease. Excellent for hand and machine quilting and for tied quilts, trapunto, comforters and wearables. Resilient loft of 1/3 inch. Can be easily layered for even greater loft.

Quilters Dream Fusion. Fusible dream cotton batting.Exceptionally soft and drapeable. Natural Dream Cotton Batting is infused with the softest fusible fibers. The beauty in Dream Cotton with the convenience of a built-in fusible web. Simply layer with fabric-iron-and your quilt top or bottom is layered seamlessly with your Dream Fusion Cotton Batting.You can stitch or tie up to 8″ apart. Finished quilt may be machine washed a& dried using cool water & cool dryer. Excellent for machine quilting, embroidery, tied quilts, clothing, purses, bags and all your craft projects. May also be hand quilted. Available in Request and Select Lofts.

Quilters Dream Fusion Fusible Dream Poly Batting. Exceptionally soft and drapeable Dream Poly Batting is infused with the softest fusible fibers. The quality of Dream Poly with the convenience of a built-in-fusible web. Simply layer with fabric-iron-and your quilt top or bottom is layered seamlessly with your Dream Fusion Poly Batting.You can stitch or tie up to 12″ apart. Finished quilt may be machine washed & dried using cool water & cool dryer. Excellent for machine quilting, embroidery, tied quilts, clothing, purses, bags and all your craft projects. Available in Select Lofts.

I would love to hear how you use battings like these, and what your experiences have been. –Betsy Quilt away! Don’t forget to comment, share, pin and post!

I know – almost no information about this quilt. I have a theory. That theory is that mom sold this quilt almost immediately. That being said, she does have a photo of it so I’m not sure how long she may have had it to be able to do that. It’s possible that someone from the same auction purchased the quilt from her at the auction. I’ve seen it happen. A person makes an offer, usually with cash, and out the item goes with someone else. As for the picture, it’s possible she might have taken the picture at the auction. I’ll never know on this one.

If you look at the picture just right, you can see a secondary design. I love it when that happens.

Could this have been a quilt kit? Anyone familiar enough with those to make a guess? I’m thinking this quilt probably dates from the 30s.

Don’t forget to post your comments, share, Pin, Tweet or post to Facebook, etc. If you have a picture you want me to post, email it to me and I’ll get it up.

It’s not often we get a glimpse into the studio of an award-winning contemporary quilter, but I had just that opportunity in early June. In January of this year I saw Marcia DeCamp at a Downtown Abbey tea and she invited me to her studio. I readily accepted but we couldn’t get it scheduled until early June.

Marcia DeCamp, Contemporary Quilter

A few things I should first tell you. Marcia is a former college professor. She taught several years at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, NY, teaching business classes. I attended there in 1976-1977 and she was one of my teachers. So I have known of Marcia for many (many!) years, though we never crossed paths, that I can think of. Marcia lives in Palmyra, NY, my hometown. So, it wasn’t hard to connect and I’m so glad we did.

On a beautiful, sunny day in early June I pulled into the DeCamp’s rural property and drove my car down a long drive and swung around at the barn. I was told to drive across the grass to the studio’s sliding doors but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. J

Marcia came out and met me and from there we entered a light-filled timber-framed studio. It was impressive and cozy.

I started out asking Marcia lots of questions and we eventually found ourselves all about the studio as Marcia showed me things and we talked about a wide range of topics. But for this post I want to share with you her stash and a bit more about her studio.

“What’s a stash?”Marcia was mostly taught to quilt by taking classes at local quilt shops. She says, “I was such a newbie. We had our first meeting and she [teacher] said you can use fabric from your stash and I said, ‘What’s a stash?’”

Well, Marcia has come a long way since then. Let’s take a peek into Marcia’s “stash.” These pictures are just a portion of Marcia’s stash. I want to save some pictures for the next post to show more, including some fabrics that Marcia has personally dyed and designed. (Post #3)

Marcia DeCamp’s Stash

More of Marcia DeCamp’s Stash

More of Marcia DeCamp’s Stash and Other Goodies

Now for a little tour in the studio. I hope you enjoy these pictures. The picture below is from Marcia’s studio that is in part of her original home. Marcia’s studio was an addition added on to her home.

Marcia DeCamp’s Studio Space, Old Section

Marcia and her long-arm quilting machine. It is an Innova and it has been built so she can move it around. It’s her second long-arm. She sold her Handi Quilter 16.

Some more looks around the studio…

This is one end of Marcia’s studio. All the white design walls you see are movable walls. There are six design walls and five of them have storage behind them. The quilts you see here are called “Night” and “Day.” More on those quilts another time.

Here you can see a bit more of the studio space. Additionally, check out the lighting. It is special in that it is “color correcting.” In other words, what you see is the actual color. Oh, wouldn’t that be nice to have in your sewing space?

This is some of Marcia’s work space. This is at the opposite end from the picture just prior.

Another look at the work space.

Lots of natural light comes in from skylights.

Here are a couple other little tidbits that you may find interesting about Marcia’s studio:

Marcia’s studio was designed, “specifically to have large design walls so I could work improvisationally. I knew I wanted to have this much room for friends. To have big walls was a number one priority.”

Marcia has two regular sewing machines; a Viking and a Janome, model 6500, “which I love.” She does not give her machine names.

More upcoming posts about Marcia DeCamp and her Studio will be forthcoming!

Post #2 of 3 – Learn about a few tips that Marcia uses that you can try in your own sewing space.Post #3 of 3 – Marcia DeCamp Dyeing and Surface Design